CES 2008 - The PEPCOM Digital Experience Media Event

Digital Experience is one of the most popular preview events at the Consumer Electronics Show, because it gives media people (like myself) the ability to get a sneak peek at a wide range of products that may not have been released into the market yet. CES 2008 is taking place this week in Las Vegas, infiltrating such places as the Las Vegas Convention Centre and the Wynn Hotel, but it was over at Caesar's Palace that journalists and bloggers gathered for Digital Experience, soaking in as much of CES as they could in about a three-hour span.

Naturally, it is impossible to cover everything that every company had on display at the fun-filled adventure, but we did manage to come across some rather notable highlights in between the free food and open bar. Here a few products that caught our eye.

iRobot Looj Automatic Gutter Cleaner

I realize that the Looj from iRobot is not the most typical of products that you'll find on the CES trade show floor, but it is for exactly this reason that the automatic gutter cleaner grabbed our attention. The Looj was designed by the same people that brought us the Roomba automated vacuum cleaner.

You may have heard about the Roomba. The round device is able to roam around just about any room, sucking up the dirt, dust, and crumbs that you left behind, automatically surveying the entire surface area for whatever tidbits you happened to leave behind. The Roomba certainly made vacuum cleaning a heck of a lot more convenient.

The iRobot Looj follows in the same kind of philosophy, except it is geared toward gutter cleaning. Looking like a green tank from hell, this device comes with a pair of tank-like treads on either side, and then on the front, you get a spinning device with a powerful brush and a foam flicker. Better still, it comes with a wireless remote that doubles as a removable handle! The Looj is waterproof in up to one foot of water and it cleans an 80-foot section of gutter in 10 minutes.

About The Author

Michael Kwan is freelance writer and professional gadget geek. He's been reporting on the world of technology for years, playing countless console games along the way too. Be sure to check out his personal blog, Beyond the Rhetoric, for posts on freelance writing, personal development, entertainment, video games, and more. Follow him on Twitter too: @michaelkwan